How to: Get organised with calendars

Hi all. Well it’s good to be back after a few technical difficulties and a few busy days at work that got in the way of writing new posts late last week. But all is back in order now so I can get back into it.

Today I want to talk about digital calendars. Most people use them in some form or another, but I really don’t know that we all make the most of them. One point of confusion is the array of different types of calendar items that are available, and how to use them effectively (e.g appointments, reminders, meetings, tasks). Another major obstacle  to efficient use is that it’s common to have multiple calendars (e.g a work one and a home one) and it can be difficult to co-ordinate them and get them in sync.

I’m hardly a good example of a lean and efficient approach, as the current setup I have is as follows:

• Outlook calendar at work
• Outlook calendar at home
• Google calendar online
• Mobile phone calendar

Now, I know I don’t need 4 different calendars, but they all come in handy at various times. The work calendar is essential, and the mobile phone calendar is handy as it is with me at all times (great for reminders). However the real value lies in setting up a calendar that I can access from anywhere. This is where Google calendar comes in handy.

I love Google calendar due to its ease of use, ease of access, and the ability to share calendars and import other peoples’ shared calendars. Share yours publicly, or just with a select group of users. As with Google reader, everyone with a Gmail account has Google calendar; just click on the ‘Calendar’ link in the top left corner. The only downside I have found is the inability to synchronize with other calendars. So far this is the only thing that has stopped me from scrapping the use of Outlook at home.

With Outlook both at work and at home, I’m able to synchronise calendars with my phone. This is handy as I always know what’s going on. The problem is that if I’m not at work or at home, I’m restricted to using the phone calendar to add and edit entries (a process which can be described as tedious at best). The problem is, I’m yet to find a solution that links everything together. In a best case scenario, I would love to be able to synchronize work, phone and Google calendar. This would provide the perfect solution.

Aside from synchronisation there are a lot of aspects to digital calendars. My few simple tips are as follows:

• Set up appropriate labels and be vigilant in using them. This is great when in Outlook’s monthly view, as you can quickly see what parties, shows, meetings and trips are coming up with a quick glance.
• Book yourself out. This is particularly good at work; if you have a solid task that you know needs completing, put in a calendar entry and mark yourself as busy. That way no one will book you into a meeting at that time.
• Be consistent. The best tip for using a calendar is to get into the habit of using it for everything. There is nothing quite like the piece of mind of knowing that everything is there in front of you, and no birthday, event or deliverable will be missed.
• Use tasks sparingly. I have mentioned this before, and for consistency I will mention it again. Many people around my office seem to rely on Outlook tasks for reminders and as a productivity tool. My advice: stay away from them as they are fiddly and hard to keep to. Manual GTD tools work much better for me.

Well, that’ll do me for today. If you have any advice on synchronisation or on digital calendars in general, make sure you let us all know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get Busy: Follow up straight after meetings

Today’s tip is only a brief one but it’s one that I need to pay more attention to myself. I find lengthy meetings a bit like forcing myself to study when I was at uni; my concentration wanes, I look for distractions and continually clock watch until I’m finally set free. When I was studying, getting set free meant having something to eat, granting myself some internet or TV time, or getting outside to get some exercise and fresh air.

Now what I am noticing is that I have carried this mindset into the office. To continue the analogy, getting set free from the meeting means returning to my desk. This should mean I can reward myself with some play time because I’ve just endured such a painful meeting right? Wrong. This is far and away the best time to follow up on what happened in the meeting. This is the time to get stuck into the document changes that were discussed, transcribe my action items to my To Do list and send follow up emails based on our discussion. But what I often tend to do is quickly check some online news or write back to a few social emails. Poor form Howo.

It’s a nasty habit to get into, because I’ve found on many occasions that if I don’t conduct my meeting follow up straight away, I’ll get distracted by something else in 20 minutes time. By the time I finally return to it, I’ve lost my train of thought and any momentum that may have been gained through meeting discussion.

I know that this is by no means rocket science, but I’ve seen others fall into this trap as well. It’s a simple thing to address, as long as you pay attention to yourself.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Save a tree: Consider the environment in your workplace

It amazes me that in the workplace so many people seem to show a complete disregard for any form of environmental consideration. With so many people in the one spot, implementing a few environmentally focussed initiatives around the workplace can make a huge difference. Why go to so much effort to recycle at home if we don’t extend this to the workplace?

Here are a few of the things I have noticed around the workplace that we can improve on:

• Think before you print. Before you click that print button, take a few moments to think: do you really need to print it? Can you work off a soft copy instead? How susceptible is the document to change? If a new version comes out tomorrow, will you need to print that one too? Perhaps some smart arrangements of your application windows can avoid the need for printing out one document whilst working on another. Even bug your manager for a larger monitor (or even a second one) to make it easier.
• Print smart. I accept that sometimes you just have to print a document. You might need a copy to scribble on or to take to a meeting. If this is the case, print smart. Print double sided, and print 2 pages per sheet (this is easy to do in word via the standard print dialogue box).
• Share documents. I go to lots of document walkthroughs, and many of these documents are quite large. If you’re running a walkthrough/workshop/meeting and need to bring a printed copy for everyone, bring half the number of copies as there are people. Sharing is no more difficult, and saves a lot of paper. There may be a little resistance at first, but in my workplace of late, this has become the norm.
• Be scrupulous with your review. Before you print out your document, check it again and again. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone reprint the same doc 5 times because they keep finding mistakes in the hard copy. And if you track changes in your documents, be sure to set the view to ‘Final’ before printing so that all the change comments do not show up in the hard copy.
• Use real coffee cups and spoons. This one grates on me big time. If I see one more person fill a plastic cup with water, drink it, then throw the cup away, I think I’ll go postal. Bring in your own mug, glass and teaspoon, and you’ll never use another foam or plastic cup or wooden stirrer ever again. It’s not hard, and it makes a big difference.
• Recycle. A lot of office waste can be recycled. Whether it be copier paper, old notebooks, paper napkins and brown bags from peoples lunches, almost all is recyclable. If you don’t recycle around the office, speak to someone and try to implement some kind of system.
• Get digital. You’re running a workshop and have just scribbled the most brilliant activity diagram all over the whiteboard. Great. Now everyone needs a copy. Do you use the print function on the whiteboard then make a photocopy for everyone? No. My bro has introduced me to this idea and I love it: take a photo of the whiteboard on your mobile phone or digital camera, then email it to all the meeting invitees. No paper required. And if you’ve ever printed from a whiteboard, you’ll agree that the clarity leaves a lot to be desired. This is a great paperless solution to a common scenario.
• Read treehugger. I’m not a hardcore environmentalist by any means, but this site is a great read. Subscribe to their feed for a range of tips, many of which can be applied to the office environment.

Being environmentally responsible in the office is not difficult; it just takes a little common sense and a little awareness. If you support this view and have tips of your own, please be sure to let us know by leaving a comment. After all, being environmentally responsible really is a team effort.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get Smarter: Read professional blogs

As I’ve mentioned in a number of past posts, I’m pretty new to the world of blogs, even just as a reader. Perhaps I was jumping the gun a little in starting my own blog. But so far it seems to be working pretty well, so I think I might stick with it for a while.

The funny thing I have found when preaching about my blog reading to friends and colleagues is that many of them perceive blogs as nothing more than an online diary; someone’s record of how long it took them to tie their shoes before going to work, or some freak rambling about why cheese is better than bread. When I tell them that I read blogs because I can learn a lot about technology, productivity and generally how to make the most out of my time, they are generally quite amazed. ‘Wow, you learned that on a blog? What are these blogs, and how can I read them?’

So I thought it was time that I share a few of my favourite blogs with my readers (and hopefully you’ll share some back too). As you can see, I have only put a brief blogroll on this site, but none of them are actually blogs (except for Camarilla – where it’s at). This post is an attempt to address this shortfall.

These are a couple that I like:

• 43 folders
• Slacker Manager
• Lifehacker
• Engadget

Yes, I did only mean a couple. Not many here. Why? Firstly, I’m new to blogs and have yet to discover too many worthy of sharing with my readers. Secondly, there will always be some blogs that you don’t quite want to share. Yet. Trust me, you’ll find some like that too (where’s the fun if everyone around the office else already knows your new uber cool work hack?). And thirdly, if you want to find out more from Howo’s Tip of the Day then you’ll just have to keep reading and click on my links. Sneaky

Fortunately the hard work has been done for me in terms of compiling a mega-list anyway. Lisa Haneberg, of the blog Management Craft, has compiled a list of the 50 best blogs/online resources in the learning/management domain. Give it a read; there’s a couple here that I read but most I have never come across. From a few quick glances there are a few here who will soon find themselves in my blog reader before long.

So go on, get reading, click some links, and see where it takes you. Feel free to let us know which blogs you find most interesting, helpful or just plain cool by leaving a comment below. Any if you feel ripped off by my meagre list, let me know and I might be inclined to share a few more!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get active: Make the most of your weekend time

It’s Friday!!!! Yyyyaaaaaaahhhhhhh……bring on the weekend, in all it’s ‘no work for me’ glory. Since I’ve started working full time it amazes me how quickly the weekend rolls around…..and just how quickly it disappears too. Having only 2 days a week to myself, I’ve realised that it’s important to make sure I make the most of this time. So on the eve of another 2 days of non-work bliss, I must pose the question: ‘What are you doing this weekend?’

I’ve recently conducted a brief experiment of banning the TV in my household for a whole week. I found this change brilliantly refreshing, and I was amazed at how much this freed me up to actually do something useful with my time. In light of this, here’s some of my favourite enriching things to do with my ‘me’ time:

• Get away from the computer. It’s hard, but it has to be done. There’s always blogs to read, posts to write, emails to write, web surfing to do. But for crying out loud, I spend all day every day in front of a PC during the week and then a couple of hours once I get home. It’s much better for my wellbeing to get out and do something active!
• Discover the local park. Last year I spent many a Sunday afternoon down at the park kicking the footy with my mates, and I rediscovered this joy last Sunday at my new local park with my girlfriend and a mate. It’s lots of fun, and so good for me. With summer on its way, bring on the bbq and cricket in the park! There are few cheaper, more enjoyable things to do than this.
• Play an instrument. This is another new aspect to my life and I love it. Until a few months ago I had never played an instrument in my life; now I spend an average of an hour a day playing guitar and usually more on weekends. It’s a lot of fun and it’s great to feel myself improving and to be able to strum my favourite songs. As with most common instruments, there are plenty of great resources on the net to teach myself. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!
• Explore the cultural aspects of my city. I’m a bit light on in this area but my city (Sydney) is full of galleries, museums, cafes, markets, fairs and all kinds of interesting things to do. Many are free, and the range is diverse. There’s nothing like the thrill of finding a bargain or the sense of cultural awareness gained from an afternoon spent browsing a gallery or museum. These kinds of activities are a great way to spend quality time with your partner too.
• Make something. A while back I stumbled upon one of the most interesting sites I have ever seen: instructables. Now, I know this involves using the computer (purely for research purposes) as this place is a huge online repository where people post simply about making stuff. What stuff? Anything. Geeky things, useful gadgets, fun stuff, crazy stuff, cool stuff. From a wallet made of duct tape to a paper clip rocket launcher or a CD hovercraft; the weird and the wonderful are all here. Most are complete with full step-by-step instructions and full pictures. Go and have a look; I guarantee that you will find a heap of things that you would love to make if you had the time. Turn off the TV, and you have the time. Go on, I dare you!
• Start a veggie garden. This is one of my top ranked to-do items. What can be better than the sense of accomplishment of having a thriving veggie patch providing fresh herbs and veggies for your meals? All you need is a patch of ground or a pot, some potting mix, and some seeds or seedlings. The rest is up to you. If you have limited space, check with your local council, as there may even be a community garden plot (like this one in Fitzroy) where you can claim your very own piece of earth.
• Read. I think this one speaks for itself. Pick up a book; people used to read them before the internet!

So there you have it; a whole lot of healthy pursuits that don’t involve the computer and that really are productive, fun and good for you. As always, please come and let us know what kinds of active pursuits you have outside of the geek world. I have deliberately left out sporting teams and anything pub/nightlife related as these really are topics in their own right (pubs are certainly on my radar for an upcoming post).

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Readers’ Tips: Microsoft Word

As a business analyst I am a bit of a power user of MS Word. By power user, I guess I mean that I have to use it a lot and I generally use some of the more advanced features that the typical home user wouldn’t need to bother with.

Now, I’m not going to launch into a whole list of my favourite shortcuts, tips and tricks for Word because they are pretty commonplace and are all over the net already. I will, however, list 2 things that I love and which my readers might not know about:

• Alt-Shift-Arrow: This takes on a number of contexts, but essentially I use it for headings. Left and right arrow changes the style to one level above or below the current one. Very handy when you have to be vigilant with section headings. If using bullets, it moves you up or down one level of numbering.
• All Commands macro: Go to Tools > Macro > Macros. Go to the ‘Macros In’ drop down box and choose ‘Word Command.’ Then click on ‘ListCommands’ in the list and click Run. Then choose ‘Current menu and keyboard settings.’ This will create a new document containing a table that lists all word commands, the associated keyboard shortcut, and even the menu item. This is a brilliant, one-stop reference for all the shortcuts you will ever need. As a self-confessed shortcut geek, this was a pretty special discovery!

Now, this is where I want to turn to my trusty readers for help with an issue that has been plaguing me and my workmates to the point that we’ve even been discussing it in project meetings. When I work on a document, I track all changes so that things can be undone at a later date, and for tighter versioning. I use the tracking toolbar, and usually set the view to ‘Final’ so that I don’t see all the comments and stuff that it inserts along the way. I always save and close it in this view.

However, whenever I open the document, the view always reverts to ‘Final showing markup’. This is messy, and people often forget to change the view before printing, so they end up with printed version with changes and comments all over it. Now, it seems to happen to some of us, but not all. Despite much Googling and even playing with our Normal.dot, we still can’t seem to figure out how to change this.

Does anyone out there know how to help? Or, do you have any non-standard tips that are great time savers in MS Word? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Get Organised: Keep your workspace clear and tidy

Traditionally I’m one of those people who likes my workspace chaotic. Papers, folders, coffee mugs, pens; you name it, I like it all to be scattered everywhere. I used to think that I work better under these conditions because everything is around and within arms reach. If I needed a document, I didn’t have to worry about going to a filing system, getting the right folder, and pulling out the document. I knew that it was right there on my desk. Somewhere.

However, my newfound interest in GTD has turned this attitude totally upside down. Whilst I’m still a long way away from implementing any kind of elaborate filing system (such as a tickler file), I’m finding my system is working well for me. I simply have a series of basic cardboard folders which I use to store my documents in. One for each of my projects, which will be expanded to a folder per project phase once we get into it a bit more. I also have other folders to logically group non-project specific resources; e.g one for my general BA resources, another for my employment specific stuff.

What I’ve found is that having a clean and tidy desk allows me to concentrate on my work better than I thought it would. If I’m working on particular documents I can have them sprawled across my desk in order to use them effectively. Once I’m finished that task, I file them away so I know exactly where they are next time I need them. There’s also an increased projection of professionalism that results from having a tidy and organised desk. This never goes astray.

Now, I know this is nothing new but keeping things tidy is often one aspect of work that people seem to have a go at, but then not stay on top of. Just a little bit of regular effort makes a world of difference, both to your own effectiveness, and the way you may be perceived by others. Give it a go; if I can do it, anyone can!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

How to: Tweak Firefox with extensions

As I alluded to in last Friday’s post on Web Browsers, I’m a huge fan of Firefox and I love all the added functionality and tweakability that I get from my extensions. Today I want to share my favourite extensions: what they do, why I like them and where you can get them. Hopefully the trend of brilliant feedback can continue here and we can amass a great little collection of mine and my readers’ favourite extensions right here at Howo’s Tip of the Day.

To get started, most of you would know what extensions for Firefox are. But if you don’t, have a read here. In a nutshell, an extension is like an extra little plugin that you can install in your browser that adds a little extra bit of functionality. For example: extra download options, extra context menu options, controls for external programs…..the cool thing is that almost anything you can think of, someone has written an extension to do it. Now, this brings me to my next point: the power of the Firefox community. Since Firefox is open source, extensions can easily be created by anyone. Couple this with the fact that Firefox is heavily used by developers, and we have ourselves a plethora of talented web users all trying to outdo each other by developing the latest and greatest web browsing widget. All we have to do is find the ones that suit our needs, and it’s a smooth ride to internet browsing heaven.

Above: Some of my extensions

To open up the Firefox extensions window (as shown above), click Tools > Extensions. This will show you all the extensions you have installed. It will automatically let you know if there is an update available, and you can install this update with a single click. From here you can also access any of the configuration options associated with each extension, or uninstall if you don’t like it. It also gives you a link to the official Mozilla extensions site. Here is a quick rundown on a few of my favourites:

• FoxyTunes. This extension is pure brilliance. It inserts an unobtrusive toolbar in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window comprising of a whole set of audio controls, including volume control and the artist and title of the currently playing song. All you have to do is tell it which audio player you are listening to (compatible with Windows Media Player, iTunes, foobar2000, Pandora, Winamp, RealPlayer and more), and the FoxyAmp controls will remotely control that player. That way, you never have to navigate away from your browser to control your tunes. It even allows you to download and install skins to make it look extra nice. How clever!
• All-in-One Gestures. This is probably the most treasured of all my extensions, and I only use it in a limited way. Basically this extension allows you to assign commands to pre-defined mouse movements. You simply assign the trigger button (in my case the right mouse button) and define which movements are associated with certain commands. Then all you have to do is hold the trigger button and move the mouse as per the assigned movements to execute the associated command. This may seem a little strange at first, but once you get used to it, it’s incredible. I now feel totally lost without it. For my setup, up and down go to top and bottom of page respectively, whilst left and right goes back and forward in my browsing history, respectively. Up-down refreshes the page, down-left closes the current tab, whilst up-left and up-right scroll through my tabs. Now I can do some serious power browsing without my hand ever needing to leave the mouse. So efficient!
• Add Bookmark Here. Adds an extra item in each Bookmark folder which says ‘Add bookmark here.’ Now it’s easy to add a bookmark to the right folder; just navigate to the right folder in the Bookmarks menu and click this link. Too easy.
• IE Tab. This one is very handy for developers, but I like it for the occasional site that doesn’t properly in Firefox. This allows you to open a new Firefox tab which is actually an IE window. It adds some very handy new links to the context menu which makes it very easy to use.
• Tabbrowser preferences. Notice that when ctrl-tabbing between tabs, the logic is different to alt-tabbing between windows programs?That used to really annoy me, but not any more! With this extension, ctrl-tab will cycle in the order that the tabs were last viewed. Also, closing a tab returns the focus to the most recently viewed tab, rather than the last one. Simple, but I love it.

So these are just a few of my favourites. What about you? Which extensions can’t you live without, or which ones do you use that really have the wow factor? Let us all know and get that warm and fuzzy feeling in return. Everyone’s a winner!

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

How to: Run a successful meeting

One inescapable aspect to working in a corporate environment is the never ending stream of meetings that clog up your daily calendar. Team meetings, project meetings, workshops, focus groups, development planning catchups……they just never end. What I’ve also noticed is that meetings are one thing that people just love to complain about. They’re too long, they don’t achieve anything, there’s too many people, there aren’t enough people, they run over time; whatever the reason, many are inclined to get someone else to take notes rather than go through the rigours of attending themselves.

Whilst I interpret many of these complaints as people just being plain lazy, there is a degree of merit to some of them. On many occasions I’ve left meetings wondering why I was there, what was achieved, and how I’m going to get that hour of my time back. What I’ve come to realise is that the success of a meeting typically comes down to the level of planning undertaken by the meeting chair. So, when it comes to running your own meeting, my tips are as follows:

• Know your purpose. The most important aspect to any meeting is to clearly define what you are trying to achieve by getting together. It may be to determine a new product structure, set a project timeline, or just for a status update. Make sure that this is communicated to all who are attending.
• Set an agenda. If you want people to come prepared and to get involved, then they have to be able to plan for the meeting as well. The only way they can plan is if they know exactly what is being covered, so make sure you distribute an agenda along with your meeting invitation. Even nominate various invitees to own particular sections if you believe this will be more appropriate.
• Invite the right people. This may sound obvious, but it’s amazing how often people get this wrong. If you’re not sure, ask around, talk to the people who have the knowledge in the subject matter, and ask them who they think should be there. It’s a disaster if a key person is not there because you overlooked them, and it’s almost as bad if you invite people who have no real need to be involved.
• Plan ahead of time. One thing that often seems to be overlooked is booking an appropriate room. Make sure the room is equipped with the right resources (e.g projector), and make sure it is big enough. There’s nothing worse than having 20 people crammed into a 6 person meeting room. The best way to ensure you can book an adequate room when people are available is to book well ahead of time.
• Record minutes and action items. Another thing I’ve found is that not many people like to write things down. This can lead to huge problems when someone is verbally assigned a task which is never completed because they forgot about it the minute they left the room. Make sure that key decisions, assumptions, issues, risks and action items are recorded, along with owners and dates for completion (if appropriate). Type them up and send them out within 24 hours of the meeting. Then start the next meeting by reviewing all the action items from the previous one.
• Keep the meeting to the point. If the discussion gets side tracked, bring it back in line. It’s your meeting, so you have to keep it under control. Otherwise, you run the risk of running over time and/or not addressing some of the important topics that you had planned to cover.

I read a great article a couple of weeks ago about how Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice-president of search products, likes to run her meetings. This is a brilliant read and has some excellent pointers on how to extend the above even further in order to ensure maximum meeting efficiency.

If you have any tips on organising and running meetings, be sure to let us know with some comments below.

Thanks for reading!
-Howo

Tools of the trade: Web browsers

Happy Friday everyone! I have to start today by apologising for the lack of content yesterday. I was off sick and wasn’t able to put together a post of adequate standard. I will be doing my best to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

What I would like to get happening today is a bit of an open thread on internet browsers. I’m a dedicated Firefox fan myself, and whilst I haven’t yet had a play with RC2 I’m hanging out to try out version 2.0 once it is officially released. I was also very happy with my use of Firefox at work until a couple of days ago I got an email from our IT Security team saying that I have been identified as having a non-standard (i.e non Internet Explorer) browser installed on my workstation. According to them, this poses a security risk to the company so it will be removed from my PC by IT.

Now, this rubbed me the wrong way for a number of reasons. Firstly is the inherent irony in only allowing the use of Internet Explorer because it is more secure. That’s bollocks. I can understand that it is easier for this Microsoft-centric organisation to keep up to date with security patches and the like, but to say that IE is more secure than it’s alternatives is more than a bit rich. Secondly is the productivity constraints. After going from the tabbed browsing and extension enhanced browsing pleasure of Firefox back to the cumbersome and bumbling IE, I feel like I’m entering a boxing ring with one hand tied behind my back. It’s nothing short of pure frustration.

I also find it interesting to read that the new version of IE (version 7.0) is trying to compete with the likes of Firefox by copying its features; most notably tabbed browsing and extensions (plugins). Just how well these will work is yet to be seen.

So, now it’s over to you. Which browser do you use at home and at work? Are there any restrictions on which ones you are allowed to us? I encourage input from Mac users as well. How do the Mac-only browsers stack up against the PC staples? I intend to write a post very soon on Firefox extensions, so please centre the discussion around the browsers themselves rather the extensions that you may use.

Thanks for reading!
- Howo